With the launch of the Apple Watch, Employee Benefit News (EBN) contacted Hiran Perera, CEO of Walkingspree to solicit his opinions on the impact of the watch in workplace wellness.

‘Hiran Perera, CEO of Walkingspree, a wellness vendor which uses its own $45 wearables or other lower-priced tools such as the Fitbit as part of its wellness services, says Apple is to be commended for its technology, but wonders if the relatively high price of the watch will make it attractive to employers.”

– Congratulations to Apple for launching this innovative new product marketed as the “Apple Watch” in the marketplace. We love the design and the features of the Apple Watch. Our Walkingspree team clearly feels that this new Apple product demonstrates where we can go with wearable tech. It will certainly expand the market demand for wearable technology and facilitate future value-add platforms and apps.

– We like the fact that it is part of the iPhone and connected to Apple’s Health app. For 3rd parties like Walkingspree, this means we can quickly connect with their with their HealthKit. We hope that we finally have a neutral platform to connect all the various devices and mobile apps without having to negotiate with each party to get connected.

– We love the Fitness App within the Watch and some of its features. Finally, a device company has recognized the consequences of sitting all day and created a simple measurement to stand-up and move.

– From a Corporate Wellness industry perspective, we do not expect to see a huge demand immediately from our corporate clients to offer Apple Watch as a wellness solution simply because of the $349 cost factor. Furthermore, the employees may also fear that the Big Brother is watching when it comes to connecting all the biometric data into an employer-controlled website. However, Walkingspree is capable of pulling only the non-HIPAA protected data such as step data and the number of minutes of standing into corporate challenges. Overall, we feel Walkingspree clients and members will have a greater option of devices – from our own Bluetooth Inspire tracker at $45 to various Fitbit devices and now with this Apple Watch.